The Story Master
by Teh K9
Summary: She uses her power to tell stories that drive her enemy insane. But now with Shikamaru and Ino as the main characters, how will her latest tale end? ShikaIno
1. The Tale

**Good lord, it's been so long since I've written fan fiction. Most of the stories I've written I've deleted due to their bad quality and the other four are only there because many people have seemed to really like them. But with a renewed love in a new fandom, I decided to take one more step into the fan fiction world.**

**The Story Master is a character I came up with just recently when I began brainstorming my own ShikaIno story. Really, I just felt like making up my own character for kicks, but then I came up with a storyline. Now I'm writing it!**

**Enjoy the story. I'm fairly new to the Naruto world, but I still enjoy it. If there are any errors involving facts from the show itself, please let me know. **

* * *

"_Wake up, citizens of Konoha! Its 9 AM, the sun is shining with just the perfect amount of clouds to cool the day. Perfect weather for the visit of a highly respected kunoichi that will be visiting our village today…"_

Shikamaru groaned from his bed, lifting his head off of his pillow, and staring past the strands of hair that lingered in front of his face. His hand snuck up from beside him and searched around his nightstand, until it finally landed atop of his alarm clock and slammed at the snooze buttons. Ten more minutes wouldn't hurt…

"_Shikamaru!_"

Scratch that, it would.

"Shikamaru!" His mother stood in the doorway with a broom in hand, and an angry look painted across her face, "Don't you dare hit the snooze button on that alarm! I want you up and dressed, breakfast eaten and out the door in twenty minutes."

"But _mom,_ why?" Shikamaru groaned again, not bothering to lift his head from his pillow.

"I told you yesterday, I'm cleaning the house today! I can't have you here in the way!"

"Like I'd even be a bother."

"Out of the house in twenty minutes." She shut the door without waiting for his reply.

Shikamaru groaned once more as he lifted himself from bed, "What a drag, I get the weekend off and I can't even spend it in my own house? Troublesome…" He dressed and pulled back his hair, stepping downstairs and into the kitchen for breakfast. He lingered long as he could, eating his bacon and eggs slowly, until his mother shouted at him to leave. He finally did, tired and annoyed, and walked towards the city gates.

'_Now what?'_ he thought to himself. But before he had to think of anything, he noticed the large crowd of ninja crowded around the gates. '_That's right, _she _arrives today.'_

He wormed his way through the crowd until he found a cluster of genin from his generation in the front. He grunted in greeting and looked to the gates.

"Nice day," Choji mentioned, his mouth stuffed full with chips and his hand digging greedily in a bag.

"This is exciting," Ino grinned, "The Story Master is coming to our village. I've read a few of her books, they're really interesting." Shikamaru looked over toward Ino and nodded. She was looking exceptionally well today, with her long, shining blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail with a complimentary purple ribbon, cascading down her back in glowing waves. Her usual purple uniform hugged her figure nicely, and her eyes shone with excitement.

'_Wait, why am I thinking of her this way?'_

Shikamaru's Ino-based thoughts, though, were quickly interrupted when Konoha's number-one knuckle-headed ninja blurted out, "Who the hell is this Story Master person?"

Everyone shot him looked of shock, which quickly turned into looks of annoyance.

"The Story Master is a jounin who uses her powers to tell stories, sometimes driving people insane." Sakura explained, "But lately she's only been using them for purely entertainment. She's going to put a show on later today."

"So long as no one pisses her off," Shikamaru added.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard that in her last stop at the Sand Village, Gaara completely got on her nerves and she attacked him."

"What happened to him?"

Shikamaru snorted, "Nothing. He's freaking untouchable. But had it been one of us, we'd probably gone nuts."

"How'd you find this out, Shikamaru?" Ino raised an eyebrow.

"Temari."

Ino's insides instantly burned. She _hated_ Temari, with a _passion._ It had happened ever since she began getting tight with Shikamaru. Granted, she didn't know exactly _why_ she would get so mad whenever her name slipped from his mouth, but she didn't do anything to stop her jealous rage. Whenever Temari came to town or sent Shikamaru a letter, she didn't rest until she knew what was up.

"_There she is!_"

A brunette ninja, accompanied by a few jounin, stepped through the city gates in glamour. Cheers followed as she bowed and waved in greeting, and then jumped past the crowd and onto the stage behind them. She raised her arms and yelled.

"Greetings, citizens of Konoha! I am The Story Master, here solely for your entertainment!"

The ninja cheered again. The Story Master bowed once more and spoke again, "My first show will be at noon. Spread the word!"

* * *

"I wonder what her first story will be today."

Team ten sat in their favorite restaurant, having an early lunch so they would make it to the Story Master's show at noon.

"Something good, with monsters and stuff." Choji mumbled, scanning the menu greedily, making a mental list of everything he wanted.

Naruto turned around in the booth beside them, where he sat with Sakura. "It'll be about me!"

"Naruto, the Story Master doesn't have a clue who you are," Shikamaru said, "You're not famous."

"Yet." Naruto winked, and Sakura groaned and face-palmed from the other side of their table.

"It should be about a princess, held captive by an evil monster and waiting for her brave knight to battle his way to her prison and save her," Ino swooned.

"If it is, I just may die of boredom."

"Oh shut up Shikamaru."

"I don't get it," Naruto frowned, "How can she use her power to tell stories?"

"She uses it to create the story's settings around her and the audience, merely out of her surroundings."

"…That's weird."

"Of course it is, Naruto." Ino sighed and shot of a glance of disgust, "Why don't you just go return to your ramen and leave us alone?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Ino and turned back to his table. Shikamaru tossed his menu on the table and stared out the window.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." Shikamaru said, sending a look towards Ino telling her to stay out of his business.

"And how are things with… Temari?"

Shikamaru groaned, "For the last damn time, Ino, there's nothing going on between me and Temari!"

"You sure do make it seem that way!"

"Damnit, why do you even _care?"_

"You're my _friend_, Shikamaru, isn't it my _job?_"

"Not particularly."

"_Shikamaru!_ You are just…"

As Ino struggled for a way to finish her sentence, Shikamaru stood. "Look, I don't feel like arguing with you. And in fact, I don't have any appetite, so I'll be going now." He left the booth and the restaurant entirely.

"Ah! I think I'll get a cheeseburger, with a side of pasta and some sushi…" Choji's mouth watered at the thought.

Ino pursed her lips, "Choji, Shikamaru hates me, doesn't he?"

Choji stared at her, asking 'are you serious?' with his face, then laughed, "Ha! No!"

"I'm going to follow him."

"What? No lunch?"

"Bring me something later? I'll see you at the show."

* * *

Shikamaru walked lazily towards the stage, hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl featured on his face. He hated arguing, it was too troublesome.

"You're early."

He spun around to find The Story Master standing behind him, smirking. She wasn't any taller than him, probably good two or three inches shorter, but her presence was intimidating all the same.

"Did you come for an autograph? Or perhaps a simple summary of the show," She smiled, "Sorry, but I don't offer either."

"No, just… chilling."

"The show doesn't start for another hour. Are you running from something?"

"No-"

"_Shikamaru!_"

Shikamaru cringed when he heard the female voice that shouted his name from behind, and The Story Master laughed, "I think you are. I'll leave you two alone." And she disappeared behind the stage.

Ino caught up and caught her breath, "Shikamaru, can I talk to you?"

"No."

"Shika, I'm really sorry. I just want us to be friends!"

Shikamaru flinched when she used his childhood nickname. "You're such a drag, Ino. Don't worry all the time, maybe you won't be as uptight."

"_Uptight!?_ I am _not_ uptight! And I didn't know it was so wrong to _care_ about someone!"

"My, my, aren't we feisty." The Story Master suddenly appeared beside Ino and Shikamaru. The both glanced at her in mild shock. "I sense a problem between old friends. Why yes, Shikamaru, I agree, what _is_ wrong with caring?"

"It's troublesome, like this pig here."

"_PIG!_"

"What a naughty boy, calling his friend names." The Story Master shook her head.

"I'll tell _you_, Shikamaru, I'm no pig. And I'm sorry I _ever_ even gave you a _simple thought!_"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

They both turned to leave, but walls grew out of the ground and prevented them from going any farther.

"I'm afraid you're not going anywhere. Wait, no I'm not!" The Story Master laughed.

"Let us go." Shikamaru growled.

"Now, I can't let you leave angry now, can I? That would be unreasonable."

"We haven't done anything wrong."

"Au contraire, you have. You see, your kind of personality pisses me off. You're a lazy bastard that only pushes people away, people that love you, and you don't give anyone a thought."

'_Damnit, here she goes.'_

"You're going to attack us, aren't you?" Ino spoke up, "Like you did Gaara."

"Except I hope to actually get _through_ to you, unlike that mary-sue sand bastard." The Story Master began her hand signs in a rapid movement, and soon their entire surroundings began to change. Mountains grew, monsters made of rock emerged from the ground, and trees danced in a newfound wind, "Once upon a time, there was a young couple," She began, "However, they weren't the couple most would stereotype. They hated each other, until one day…" More hand signs followed, and a cage grew around Ino, "The princess was captured."

"_Shikamaru!_"

Shikamaru only stood there, eyes wide. He was the main character in the Story Master's tale.

Things would not end well.

"The knight has the power to turn things around, but will he do it?"

* * *

**Read and Review! (puppy eyes) Again, please tell me if there are any factual details I'm screwing up on!**


	2. The Journey

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! And just in case, please don't be offended for the slight Gaara bashing I had in the last chapter. I'm sorry!**

**So I wonder what The Story Master will do today…

* * *

**

_How troublesome…_ Shikamaru thought angrily as he jumped into a tree. This definitely wasn't how he wanted his day to go. He wasn't planning on arguing with Ino. He wasn't planning on fighting with her. He wasn't planning on getting attacked by the Story Master. He had only wanted to spend the day sleeping, or even watching clouds on his favorite hill.

But _no_, somehow, some god out there hated him and decided to stick him in a bad situation which involved the capture of the girl he loved and…

_No! I don't love her! We're just good friends!_

But he didn't have much time to reflect upon how terrible his day was turning out. The tree began swaying furiously, and he had to grip the branches to stay on. Then those branches began to wrap around his arms. He was rocked and thrown about in the air by the tree.

"_Holy crap!_" He yelled, trying to break free so he could get away. But the tree was unbelievably strong. He looked down at its trunk. Two dark eyes had opened in the bark, along with a malicious, Cheshire cat grin. The tree laughed at him, in a deep, low, scary voice. "Let me go, tree!"

"**My job is to keep you at bay. If you want to be free, you must find a way out yourself."**

Shikamaru growled. This only made things more complicated. He cursed at the tree for being so ambiguous. He'd be able to simply cut his way out if it didn't have his arms! And he couldn't make his hang signals, either.

But almost right away, Shikamaru realized something. His _arms_ were captive, but his hands were free. If he could just reach his kunai, then…

He swung his legs up so they latched onto the branches that held his arms, and wiggled his left hand until he could get to the pouch that held his kunai. Once he grabbed one, he swung his legs back down and spun the kunai until it cut the branch that held his left arm, then reach over and cut the right one. He fell to the ground, landed gracefully on his legs and scowling at the tree, "Troublesome."

"**You're not going to just run away now, are you? That would be no fun." **The tree's branches shot at him again, but Shikamaru evaded.

"No," He grabbed two more kunai and threw one in to each of his eyes. The tree screamed, and then its branches fell.

"**I'm blind!"**

"Well that's no fun." Shikamaru smirked, throwing his last kunai into the tree's mouth. It screamed once more, its eyes and mouth sealing and its branches shrinking back to its normal length. Shikamaru picked up the kunai that had fallen from it, then sighed, "Guess I can't hide in the trees anymore."

* * *

Ino sat cross legged in her prison, tapping her fingers against her cheek and glaring into the darkness around her, "This is so boring. Shikamaru isn't going to save me, you know. I'll be stuck here for the rest of eternity!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," The Story Master appeared by her side, grinning, "There's a lot more to this boy than you think."

"Shikamaru? No. He's a lazy bastard, like you said, and he's just going to sit in a tree somewhere and wait for me to break free myself."

"Then why don't you break free?"

"I…" Ino pondered. Why _didn't_ she break free? She could just perform her mind switch jutsu, taking over the Story Master and using her to break free from her cage. Then she'd return to her own mind and run out of here!"

The Story Master smirked, "The princess had the power to break free, but she wouldn't because deep inside, she knew and hoped that her knight would save her!"

"Shut up!" Ino blushed and growled, preparing for an attack, "_Mind switch no jutsu!_" (A/n: yeah I have no idea how she says that so I guessed o.0 XD)

But when she opened her eyes again, the cages bars still surrounded her. She looked down. She was in The Story Master's body! But why was there still a cage?

_You think that I wasn't ready for your little mind switch technique?_ The Story Master said from the back of her mind, _I knew it was coming, so I caged myself beforehand so you couldn't get away._

_Damnit_, Ino growled as she switched back to her own body. It turned out she had no choice but to sit and wait.

* * *

Shikamaru groaned, "Oh man, what a drag."

He stood face-to-face with a sphinx. It snarled and hissed at him maliciously, crouched to attack.

"**So you're the knight." **She stated with her tail wagging, ready to pounce.

"I'm no knight," Shikamaru said lazily, "But I need to save my friend."

"**You're not a very exciting lad, are you?"**

"Lad? Who calls anyone a _lad_ anymore?"

"**I do, obviously." **The sphinx sat down and swayed her tail at him, loosely wrapping it around his figure, "**Now anyone who wishes to pass must answer me these questions three." **Of course, Shikamaru groaned, he knew this was coming. Sphinxes where told to ask people riddles when they want to pass them, and those who failed were eaten alive. But with an IQ over 200, Shikamaru was sure of himself. This would be uneventful. "**How far can a dog run into the woods?"**

Shikamaru instantly imagined Akamaru running into the woods, passing by so many trees, and then ending up on the other side. So it would be all the way, right? But there was a catch hidden in there, somewhere. At one point, he would be running _out_ of the woods…

"Halfway."

The Sphinx nodded, "**There is a house with four walls. All the walls face south. There is a window in one wall, a bear walks past it. What color is the bear?"**

That was easy, "White." The only place, after all, where all four walls could face south would be the North Pole.

"**A man has two sons. He gives a quarter to each of them. What time is it?"**

Now when in that question did they ever mention _time?_ Two sons each get a quarter. Wow, what a cheapskate father they had. Shikamaru grumbled. _A quarter to two sons… a quarter to two…_

"One forty-five."

"**Proceed." **The sphinx uncoiled her tail from his body and stepped out of the way, "**Good luck on your quest, boy."**

"It's no quest, just helping a friend." Shikamaru grumbled, waving his hand with out facing the sphinx.

"**Good luck, all the same, against The Story Master."

* * *

**

Ino hummed a tune as she lied in her cage, "Is there anything I can do to keep myself occupied? It's so boring in here…"

The Story Master tilted her head, still smiling, "As the knight bravely battled monsters outside, the princess only anxiously waited for his arrival."

"Anxious? Yeah, I guess. The sooner he gets here the sooner I get out."

"The knight's wits had so far kept him out of danger, but a mob of giants was coming his way."

"Giants!? You're going to send _giants_ at Shikamaru!?"

"I believe he'll know what to do." The Story Master smirked.

Ino could only sit back and wait.

* * *

He knew they were there the instant he heard the first loud _thud_ in the distance. Next he saw a pair of evil eyes staring from the other side of a mountain. He sighed. Another obstacle he had to figure out.

"Troublesome…" He stood there, waiting. He would let them come to him, instead of approaching them himself.

"**Hey kid, what you doing!?"**

Shikamaru turned to the giant behind him. His enemy cracked his knuckles and stretched his neck to the side, angry and looking for a fight. "I'm the knight."

"**The knight, eh?"** Another two giants appeared from behind a mountain, "**The Story Master told us about you. You're that lazy kid."**

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." Shikamaru didn't even bother to argue. Hey, you can't deny the truth. "But I'm also that smart lazy kid."

"**Smart, eh? I don't like smart kids. Think they're all that."**

"Well I don't like stupid giants." Shikamaru rebutted.

"**Ya see? Smart kid thinks he can top us."**

"**Pssh, he's puny! Smarts don't beat muscle!"**

"Really? Well I bet muscle beats muscle." Shikamaru smirked. The giants looked at each other in confusion. Then Shikamaru turned to the first one, and began his hand signs, "_Shadow Possession no jutsu!_" (A/n: Again, forgive me for not knowing how he says it XD) Shikamaru's shadow was connected to that of the giant, who froze instantly, shocked. Shikamaru turned the giant towards his comrades, cracking his knuckles and the giant's.

"Let's do this."

Shikamaru swung a few punches, which caused the captured giant to beat up the other two. Within minutes, the two giants were unconscious on the ground.

"**Well, you've hurt my friends. How you gonna hurt me?"**

That would be a problem. Shikamaru could just beat himself up, but then he would be in the same position as the giant. This was a troublesome problem. He canceled the jutsu, then doubled back on his trail and met up with the sphinx.

"**Why the return, boy?"**

"I need your help."

* * *

The sphinx bowed as Shikamaru thanked her, and then returned to her post. He observed the dead giants lying on the ground, two that he had killed and one that the sphinx had. Now he just had to figure out where Ino was.

"What a drag, I'll probably run into a thousand more monsters before I can finally go home."

He noticed a cave in the mountain ahead. Shrugging, he figured it wouldn't hurt to check, so he ran towards it.

* * *

Ino listened as the Story Master narrated every move that Shikamaru made, everything he did to defeat the giants and reach her prison. Ino sighed as she listened.

_And all I can do is sit helplessly and wait._ She thought about the tale. So far, she and Shikamaru had yet to go insane, and he seemed so close to victory. _What is she planning?_

Before she could think about this further, the cage door opened. Ino hesitated, then got to her feet and crawled out. She stood, stretching her legs finally, and looked to the Story Master on her throne.

"The knight is getting ever closer to his goal, but now the princess has been released. What will she do?"


	3. The Return

Ino Yamanaka stood in The Story Master's lair, unsure of what to do.

"What are you doing just standing there, princess? You're free."

"Then why do I have the feeling that this is only making things worse?"

The Story Master didn't reply, just smiled and sat still in her chair. Finally, she said, "The door is to your right."

Ino turned her head that way, and noticed, for the first time, the large wooden door, "Has that always been there?"

"Go find your knight."

Ino stared at the Story Master, only for a moment, before she slowly walked to the door and opened it, revealing the newly created world of her latest tale. It was majestic, and hard to believe that originally, she had been in square of Konoha. Where did all of these mountains, trees, and hills come from? And the monsters, from where had they derived?

When Ino stepped out of the door, she found herself falling from a mountain peak. She screamed.

* * *

Inside the cave, Shikamaru sat down and regained his breath. There was still no clue to where Ino could be. _Damnit, the Story Master is terrible at leaving clues…_ It was all part of the game.

Then, suddenly, he heard a scream, far off in the distance. Shikamaru jumped to his feet on impulse and ran as fast as he could towards the source. He recognized the high feminine pitch to it, and he knew who it was. _What has she done to Ino!?_

But a warrior crossed his path – or rather, grew from his path, for her figure directly derived from the rocks themselves. She slammed her sword into the ground, blocking Shikamaru's path. He ran right into her, hitting his head and falling to the ground.

"_Move, bitch!_"

The warrior raised an eyebrow, "**Why the hurry?"**

"My friend is in trouble!"

"**These mountains belong to my master. Anyone who wishes to pass freely through them must first battle me."**

"You _master?_ The Story Master, right? She's the bitch who got me into this in the first place! And I know she's just hurled my friend off a mountain, I heard the scream! Let me through, _now_, or you're not going to like the consequences.

"**Your puny threat does not frighten me."**

"Then maybe _this_ will." Shikamaru prepared the hand signs for attack, produced three shadow clones, and each whipped out a kunai and stabbed the warrior. It only happened in the blink of an eye. The stone warrior instantly cracked and fell into rubble, and Shikamaru continued on his way, his clones beating any opponent that would show.

_That was too easy.

* * *

_

Ino fell on her butt and whined from the shock of falling. Eyes still closed, she sat up and rubbed her behind, settling the pain at least a little. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw.

…she was back in Konoha.

Not that she ever _wasn't_ in Konoha, she had just been stuck in that crazy, messed up tale of the Story Master's. But everything was back to normal now! The stores lined the street, people peacefully walked to and fro, and the wind blew blissfully in her hair. Next to her stood her favorite restaurant, which inside sat Choji, staring eagerly at the menu.

"Choji!" She cried, "I'm back!"

Choji blinked, "Ino, you just stepped out to find Shikamaru. Did you give up so soon? Man, he's not going to reject you _that_ much…"

Ino cringed and thought about their earlier fight leading to their entrapment by the Story Master, then looked confused, "No, I swear I've been gone for hours…"

"No, more like seconds." Choji put down the menu and stood up. "Where's Shikamaru?"

"Somewhere back there… I guess… I don't know we had a fight…" Ino shook her head, and then stared at the clean table behind Choji. "Hey, Choji, aren't you going to order lunch?"

He furrowed his brow, "I already ate."

"But I've only been gone for a few seconds, right? You hadn't ordered when I left."

"I ate before we got here, then."

"But you looked so hungry-"

"Well I guess I'm just not anymore!" Choji shrugged, giving up and walking out the door, "I'll see you later, Ino!"

"Wait! What about-" Too late, Choji was long gone. Ino sighed and sat down at the nearest table, looking up to see that across from her sat her best friend Sakura. "Hey, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, "Hey Ino, doing all right?"

"Yeah…" Ino tapped her fingers against the table, then looked around, "Where's Naruto?"

"Who?"

"Naruto! Your _supposed_ boyfriend!" Ino was still disgusted at the thought. After Sasuke's departure, Sakura's only solace from her grief was that offered by Naruto. After that, some crazy relationship grew, and Ino only sat back and gave Sakura unbelievable looks. However, Ino believe that once Sasuke returned (for she knew she would, Orochimaru would be defeated, after all), Sakura would fall right back in love with him and forget all about that knuckle-head.

"Naruto? I guess he ran off somewhere…"

Ino stared at her incredulously, "You sound like you don't care!"

"I do! I just don't know where he is, is all."

Ino watched her suspiciously then shrugged, "Your call. I'm going to order a drink, you want one?"

"No, not thirsty."

"Something to eat, then?"

"No, I'm fine. I've been eating too much anyway."

"I know what you mean," Ino laughed, "I feel like I've gained ten pounds since Sasuke left! I've been hanging around Choji and Shikamaru too much, I guess."

"Who's Sasuke?"

Ino gave Sakura another unbelieving stare, "Sasuke? You forgot Sasuke? Sakura, he was your _first crush. _Your biggest crush! Mine too, remember? We always fought over him."

Sakura stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly jumped as if she remembered something, then laughed, "Of course! Sasuke, Sasuke…" Sakura waved her hand, "But I have Naruto now, right? And you have Shikamaru."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "Me and Shikamaru? Never, no way…" Ino laughed lightly, but it quickly faded, "…really?"

Sakura nodded, acting like it was completely obvious and surprised that Ino hadn't already caught on. Deep in thought, Ino stood up from the table, wordlessly leaving Sakura.

_Me and Shikamaru?_ _Really? But… we hate each other…_

…_or do we?

* * *

_

Shikamaru finally reached the point he had heard the scream from, but found no sign of Ino. Panting, he fell to the ground, his exhaustion overwhelming his body, finally causing physical collapse. Shikamaru began to slip into sleep…

"Where is she…" he whispered, "where did she go...?" Shikamaru panted, opening his eyes to just slits, still panting, looking around him. "Where are you Ino?" He spoke up, still panting, still looking, "Where did you go!?"

Shikamaru used what energy had to get to his knees, and then stood. His clothes were drenched in blood and sweat. He walked to the nearest tree, putting his hand to the trunk. It didn't attack. "Are you up there?" He looked to the branches, to the mountains, to the sky. He turned, put his back to the tree, and slid down. He sat in the hollow of its roots, still panting, still looking. Shikamaru closed his eyes and calmed down.

"Ino Yamanaka…" He whispered again. A tear fell from his eyes. More followed, dropping to the ground like shiny crystals that melted instantly into the ground below. Drenched in blood, sweat, and tears, he whispered one more time, "I love you, Ino," before falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Ino walked to the counter of the bar, sitting in the stool and spinning around just a bit, before getting the waiter's attention, "By any chance, do you have fruit smoothies?"

"I can whip one up, for a pretty face like yours," he grinned, then turned around quickly and yelling out the order. Someone else signaled back that they got it and began preparing the drink. The waiter turned back to Ino, "What's on your mind?"

Ino sighed, "Just a love problem, nothing I can't handle." She rested her chin on her hand, "It's confusing, though."

"Why don't you tell me about it?"

Ino raised an eyebrow, a bit hesitant about telling a complete stranger about her issues, but shrugged it off anyway, "There's this guy, right? And he's like, my best guy friend _ever_. I mean, he's lazy and all, and he probably couldn't give a _crap_ about me, but… I don't know, now everyone's talking about him all of a sudden, like he's the biggest celebrity in Konoha, even bigger than Sasuke!" Ino slammed her fists into the table, "Sakura didn't even remember Sasuke, and she was so obsessive compulsive over him!"

The waiter blinked, "Sasuke who?"

"_Uchiha!"_ Ino groaned and slammed her head into the counter. A second later the smoothie was placed by her head, and she looked up and sighed, "Thank you."

"No problem. So you're talking about Shikamaru Nara, right?"

"_There you go!_ Instantly naming Shikamaru, out of the blue! He couldn't _possibly_ be the _only_ lazy bastard in this village!" Ino angrily stirred her smoothie with her straw, "I… just… don't… get it!"

The waiter nodded without comment. Ino threw her straw across the bar and instantly took a large gulp from her smoothie. A second later, she gagged and spit it all back out, "What is this crap!?"

"A smoothie, like you ordered."

"This isn't a smoothie, more like ground up dirt!" Ino coughed, scraping her tongue, "You trying to kill me!?"

"A little dirt never hurt."

Ino screamed and tossed the smoothie as well, where it landed with an explosion next to the straw. She stormed out the door.

_What hell did Konoha go through!?

* * *

_

Shikamaru shivered, and then opened his eyes. Everything seemed dark; he must've been out for a few hours. Groaning, he stood up and rubbed his back, eyes half open in his trademark lazy stare, "What a drag."

But then he stood straight, eyes widening, realizing where he was. He looked around. The trees were serene, not threatening. Buildings stood in their marketable fashion. Streets snaked between them. He was back in Konoha.

As Shikamaru stood there still, the Story Master grinned from the top of a building.

"The knight thinks he's reached his solace, but is it really the peace he wants? He still has to find the princess, of course. This could merely be another trap…" She snickered as she disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**WOOOO, PARTY IN CRAZY KONOHA.**

**Fo**' **shizzle, dawg.**

**Every review sent adds to the INSANITY of the next chapter!**


	4. The Problem

_Why am I back…?_ Shikamaru asked himself, dumbfound, as he walked the streets of Konoha. _I haven't found Ino yet, much less know where she is. She's probably still stuck in the story! Or did the Story Master just get bored?_

Shikamaru soon found himself on top of his favorite cloud-watching hill. He lay down, his arms reaching behind his head to prop, and stared into the sky. However, the sun had just recently set, and stars were beginning to appear in the sky. The clouds weren't there; they had turned in for their sleep. _The clouds_ _may not be here, but the stars are just as good._ He yawned, tired. He still hadn't regained all of his energy. _Ino can wait till morning, I can't search right now._

He drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ino walked down the street angrily, her arms rigid and swinging at her sides. Each step she took seemed to rattle the earth a little. Whenever someone tried to say hello to her, she just ignored them and kept walking. Whenever someone yelled her name, she just kept walking. Whenever someone mentioned… _him,_ she scowled and just kept walking.

She reached the gates, stopping in the middle of the square and observing her surroundings. The stage sat ominously across from the gates. She stared at it blankly, unsure of what to think.

_I guess I missed the story today, didn't I? _She imagined everyone sitting in front of the stage, laughing, crying, or yelling at the Story Master's tale at noontime that day, while she and Shikamaru were trapped inside. Could they really go on with their daily lives while a whole new world lay beside them, created from the Story Master's hand and built right out of Konoha? How did these things work?

She walked to the stage and sat there, unsure of what to think. Ever since she got back to Konoha, everyone had been acting strangely. Choji wouldn't _eat_ for heaven's sake! If _that_ didn't shout "weird!" to the world, Ino didn't know what did.

And not only that, but everyone was pestering her about Shikamaru. How's Shikamaru, Ino? Are you dating? You two are such a cute couple! Sometimes she just wanted to gag. However, it wasn't getting to her as much as she thought. The whole idea was sinking in… her and Shikamaru. Shikamaru Nara. Ino Yamanaka. Or rather, Ino Nara. She smiled. It had a nice ring to it.

Ino lay back onto the stage. Where was he, anyway? _He must still be trapped in the tale…_ She sighed. She hoped that he'd be back with her soon. She had hated just sitting around and waiting for him back in her prison. She didn't like being the damsel in distress. If she's in trouble, she should save herself! Not wait around for some _guy_ to save her, because where's the fun in that? Really, just sitting around, doing nothing, waiting for someone to come along is _Shikamaru's_ job. She should have been the one fighting her way through that mess. Shikamaru was more suited to sitting, she was suited to working

Ino sighed, _but I guess that was the whole point, right? The Story Master _was _pretty pissed off at his laziness… but who wouldn't be, in their right mind? He's pretty annoying when he won't do anything… which is most of the time._

"Hey, Ino!"

Ino sat up and grinned, "Hey, Asuma-sensei!"

Asuma waved and walked up to the stage where Ino sat, "What are you doing out so late?"

"Sitting, I guess."

"Don't you normally hang out with the other nin at the restaurant at this time?"

"Yeah, I guess. But they're all being so strange today." Ino sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. "You're probably the first person today who didn't ask me about Shikamaru right when you saw me."

"Why do they ask you about him?"

"Everyone thinks I like him." _Which I can't really argue with…_

"You and Shikamaru, eh?" Asuma laughed, "That could be a problem."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Members of the same team shouldn't fall in love, you know," Asuma gave her an all-knowing look; "It could throw them off on missions. When you're on a mission, you can't afford to worry about someone. If you're both on the same mission, you'll both worry about each other."

"You're saying that if Shikamaru and I love each other, it'd be a threat to our lives?"

"Exactly," Asuma patted her shoulder, "So don't do it, you hear? You two definitely can't handle that pressure."

_But I _do _love him… _Ino thought as Asuma walked away, _how can I not?_

She cried.

* * *

"Ino, are you okay?"

Ino shoved her way through Sakura's door and collapsed onto her couch, her face sorrowful. Sakura sat down on the floor next to her and looked at her worriedly.

"It's late, Ino, you never come over late."

"What are you talking about? I come over late all the time."

"…But you never come so sad."

"Normally I come over because I'm sad."

"That's not the point," Sakura waved a hand and shook her head, "What's wrong?"

"I can't be with Shikamaru."

"What? Why? You two are perfect together!"

"Because it'll only put us in danger." Ino grabbed a pillow and hugged it.

"Forget _that_, be together anyway!"

"But…" Ino frowned, "I don't want him to get hurt."

"Ino, please," Sakura half-laughed, "This is Shikamaru we're talking about! You really think he'll worry about you when his life is in danger?"

"Well if he really loved me he'd put my life before his!" Ino threw her pillow to the ground."

"That's not what I meant, you know that."

"Forget it, Sakura!" Ino ran outside, crying. She didn't know where she'd go. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. She just knew to run as far as she could. Unrecognizable scenery whizzed by as she dashed for something… safety, she guessed. She needed safety from these people, the contradictory ideas about her and Shikamaru, these ambiguous feelings locked away inside. Before she knew it, she stood at the base of a hill, out of breath.

_Isn't this…?_ Ino climbed the hill and looked to the sky. Sure, it was different at night, but she knew this was his hill. This was Shikamaru's favorite cloud watching hill. She laughed when she thought of the first time she'd been here.

"_Shikamaru!"_

_The Nara boy opened one eye lazily and growled, but didn't say anything to the angry girl approaching. He opened the other eye and stared at the clouds._

"_What the hell, Shikamaru!? You missed all of training today!"_

"_So what?" He groaned, "It's so troublesome."_

_Ino crossed her arms and scowled at him, "You lazy chuunin! I still can't believe you, a lazy bastard, made it to chuunin level before me, even Choji! You only sit and watch clouds all day, you don't even show interest in being a ninja! So why do it!?"_

_Shikamaru shrugged, but didn't bother to glance at Ino. He knew her angry look all too well, "Sometimes there are days when you just have to drop everything and stare at the clouds."_

"_What's so great about clouds?"_

_He did bother to look at her this time and smirked, "Why don't you see for yourself?" Ino was too angry and stubborn to even consider lying down by him. Shikamaru sighed, "Suit yourself."_

_Ino had planned to just stand there and wait for her presence to become so annoying that Shikamaru would give up and leave with her, but he didn't budge. At a loss of what to do, Ino sighed, "Fine!" and lied down on the ground next to Shikamaru._

"_Now what?"_

"_Just watch."_

_Ino did, confused and impatient, and stared at the clouds. She tapped her fingers against her arm impatiently._

"_Don't be so impatient, drop everything. Seriously, you're being a drag."_

_Ino settled down and continued staring at the clouds, until everything in her mind seemed to disappear. The clouds were so peaceful, just floating around, without a care in the world… everything troublesome in the world seemed to disappear._

"_This is nice."_

"_I know."_

Ino sighed and stared at the sky. The stars seemed just as great as the clouds, even better, actually, because they were so romantic, bright, and mysterious. It was too bad there was no one to share it with.

Shikamaru came to mind. Ino shuddered, thinking of every problem that arose with his existence. She returned to walking, mind wandering far, but always on the topic of Shikamaru. It was as if her mind was a computer desktop, and his face was its wallpaper, not to mention she couldn't freaking _change_ the wallpaper as much as she'd like to! But she went on for a short while until she ran into a figure asleep against the cold ground.

The figure shuddered just a bit, until his eyes flickered open. Black met blue for an instant. Ino gasped. Her heartbeat raced, she felt like it was burst at any moment, and her face felt ready to burn off from her bright blush (_Thankfully its night time!_ She almost sighed with relief). The boy on the ground simply yawned and blinked.

"Ino?"

"_Shikamaru?_"

* * *

**All right, that wasn't really _insane,_ so… get over it XD. This chapter feels short :(. And badly written:( :( Oh well, I thought it was a nice point to stop at, so I decided to go ahead and stop. :)**

**BTW, super sorry about yesterday when I 'updated'. Yeah, FFN was being screwy, and every time I posted this chapter it was screwy and I had to delete it, and eventually I ended up having to sign off without posting it because I really had to go (school night and all), so… uh… here it is! Today! Instead! XD**

**REVIEW PLEASE :3 I'll love you lots if you do :D**


	5. The Reunion

"Ino?"

"_Shikamaru?_"

Shikamaru instantly got to his feet; some wave of energy having found its way to him. Excitement perhaps? Maybe just relief? Either way, he was still amazed to find the blond standing before him, after what seemed to be such a long day. He held his hands out to her, resting them on her shoulders, then raising them to her face. It was really her.

"You're… you're okay!"

"Shikamaru!" Ino grinned and hugged him tightly. "You found me! Or rather, I found you. But still! _We beat the Story Master!_"

"Did we?" Shikamaru thought it over, and then smiled slightly, "I guess we did… but it seemed so uneventful. Doesn't the Story Master usually drive her victims insane?"

Ino let go of Shikamaru, leaving her hands on his shoulders, making a face that expressed her joy of victory, "Well I guess we beat her to it!" She patted his left shoulder, and then stepped away.

Shikamaru frowned, "We're only chuunin though. Well, I am that is. We could never beat a jounin like the Story Master like _this._ There has to be a catch."

Ino frowned back at him, "What, exactly, do you mean?"

"I'm just saying it's suspicious, is all."

"Suspicious, huh?" Ino crossed her arms, "In case you haven't noticed, Shikamaru, we're back in Konoha."

"Yeah, sure…" Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Konoha."

"And I'm telling you, everyone has been acting so _weird_ since I got back!"

"Weird?"

"Yeah, you didn't notice?"

"Nah, I was sleeping up here ever since I got out."

"Ha, figures." Ino shook her head, "Anyway, they're pretty freaking weird. Choji wouldn't eat, Sakura forgot about Naruto _and_ Sasuke! Imagine that, right!? She _adores_ Sasuke! And… and they all won't shut up about _you!_"

"What?"

"Yeah! You! You're a big celebrity here, Shikamaru, especially when it comes down to _me._ They all think we're dating!"

"…what?"

"I know pretty outrageous, right?"

"No, I mean about everyone," Shikamaru tried to ignore that last statement she made about them dating. The idea made his heart flutter a bit, but he refused to comment on it, "They're… exactly the opposite of themselves."

"Maybe it's opposite day."

"We're not _kids_, Ino."

"Just making a joke, sheesh."

"But seriously," Shikamaru turned to the spot on the hill where he had a clear view of all of Konoha, "Choji not eating? Sakura forgetting Sasuke? Me a celebrity? This isn't Konoha, Ino."

"What do you mean?"

"We're still trapped in the tale. The Story Master must've created a new Konoha, and put us inside. The story's not over yet."

Ino froze, stunned, "You know, that makes sense. Everything she creates come straight from her surroundings, right? I ordered a smoothie today, and it was made of _rock._ Disgusting." Ino gagged.

"Ino," Shikamaru took a firm hold onto her shoulders, his eyes locking with hers, "You need to tell me _everything_ that happened to you today. You could be walking into a trap."

Ino blinked, thinking over the day. All that stuck out to her were the constant questions about Shikamaru. _You two are cute together! How's Shikamaru, Ino? You two _are _dating, right?_ And then Asuma's words, _it'll only bring pain._

"Erm… nothing important."

"You're positive?"

"Yeah… I think so."

Shikamaru dropped his hands, but not his eyes, "Ino, you realize the danger we're in, right?"

"Of course!"

Shikamaru shrugged and turned around, "We best stick together. It'll probably lessen the chance of us being separated again," Shikamaru threw Ino an annoyed look; "I can't stress enough the work I had to do to find you."

Ino scoffed, "Glad to see you care."

"It was troublesome," He sighed, "A big drag, and when I heard you scream, I ran like _hell_ to find you. And I had to beat up about a thousand monsters on my way. But you had disappeared."

Ino looked down, cringing as she remembered the terrible feeling of free-falling, "She pushed me off a cliff. When I landed, I was here."

"Explains the scream," he half-smiled at her, "But you're safe, that's what matters."

Ino blushed, "W-what?"

"Well, I wouldn't have wanted to go all that way to only find a dead girl, right? Not exactly a great aspect for a knight, not being able to save the… er… _princess _before she was harmed."

Ino didn't know what to say. Was he being sarcastic? Plenty of things that Shikamaru said were normally of the sarcastic sense, but she could never really tell. But what if he _wasn't_ being sarcastic?

_You two are cute together!_

_It'll only bring pain._

A tear came to her eye, _what do I do?_

"Ino?" A look of worry spread across Shikamaru's face, "You okay?"

"I… have to go." She turned and ran, crying silently.

"_Ino!_" Shikamaru cursed, "Troublesome woman! Did I just say to stick together?" He started to run after her, "What the hell could she have to do in a fantasy world, anyway!?"

* * *

_What am I going to do!?_

When Ino stopped running, she had ended up in front of the restaurant again, where it had all began. Their fight that led to the Story Master's challenge started here. The accusations from these… _characters_ that she had created in this fake village of Konoha about her and Shikamaru started here.

And there was that terrible rock-shake. But who cares about that? The restaurant caused so many problems today…

Ino fell to her knees. There was no one here to comfort her anymore, the place was closed. She stuck her head between her hands, her eyes bulging from her sockets. The accusations were running through her head like _mad _now…

_You're so cute together!_

_It'll only bring pain._

_Don't listen to him; you two are destined for each other!_

Inu shook her head furiously, _what do I do?_ Her body began to shake, shivering in fear. Their words wouldn't go away. Her grip on her head tightened. She dug her fingers into her hair, ripping it from her purple rubber band's firm hold of a ponytail. She didn't even hear the band snap and fall to the floor. She didn't feel the long strands of her hair fall limply against her back. She didn't even see it fall in front of her face. Their words just wouldn't let her go! _I… love Shikamaru! But I can't cause him pain! But what if something really could happen between us? But then that would only bring more trouble! We may not technically be a team anymore, so that's a plus, sort of, but then again we always train together, and we go on plenty of missions together still! And now… now everything is just haywire!_

Ino gasped for air. The words still rang in her head, their noise having grown ten-fold. It was getting hard to breathe now. She didn't know what to do with herself. Was she going insane? Was this the final part of the Story Master's tale? Would she… _die_ hear?

"Ino!"

She turned, having barely heard the source of the voice. Sakura stood before her… but… she wasn't worried at all.

"Ino! Get a grip! You and Shikamaru have a wonderful future!"

The noise grew. Ino gasped for air again. Her name was called in the other direction. When she turned her head, she was face-to-face with Asuma.

"Ino, don't get any ideas about Shikamaru! It's only going to cause trouble for your future as a ninja!"

The noise was unbearable. She kept gasping for air. Her vision blurred.

"Ino!"

"Ino!"

She couldn't see anyone anymore. She could only see the words floating before her. The accusations. To love or not to love, that was the question. But it wasn't a matter about simply being with him anymore. No, it was a matter of her life. His life.

She couldn't even see the Nara boy walk in front of her and try to snap her out of her trance.

She didn't see his contagiously worried look.

She couldn't hear him shout her name in fright.

She couldn't feel him shake her.

She couldn't feel him lift her up and run her to the hill.

She could only hear the words. She could only see the words. And she could only feel her heart beating faster and faster, until she thought it couldn't even go on anymore… to love him, or to keep her alive.

* * *

Shikamaru mentally cursed himself over and over as he ran Ino back to the hill. _I shouldn't have taken that nap earlier! I should've gone straight ahead into finding Ino! Maybe if I had found her earlier, this wouldn't have happened! Now, she's the victim of the Story Master's tale…_

"Oh Shika, Shika, Shika, you're such a silly boy."

Shikamaru abruptly stopped and looked around, "Who's there!?"

"It's just me!" The Story Master popped out from behind a tree, smiling like she always had, but not in that malicious way you would normally expect from a villain. No, it was just a simple smile, like something wonderful had happened. But nothing wonderful happened! Not in the least! Ino was going _insane_ now, and the Story Master could only stand there and… and _smile!_

"Is it not enough for you to have driven Ino insane?" Shikamaru could barely ignore Ino's gasps for air or her constant shivering as he spoke. He could barely keep his voice steady, "Do you have to drive _me_ too!?"

"Shikamaru Nara," she shook her head, "You know the story more than anyone, right? I always capture my enemy in a tale, and drive them insane during it." She sighed, but smiled again, "But this is a different case. I'm not really trying to… _harm_ you, but teach you a lesson."

"I don't see how this is any lesson."

"You see, my enemies cannot be saved once they go insane." She continued to smile. Oh, how Shikamaru _wanted_ to rip that smile off her face, "But Ino here, can be saved. It's a matter of whether you can do what's required of you."

"What would that be?" He demanded.

"You're a genius, figure it out." She grinned, disappearing behind the tree. "_But you only have until midnight to do it."_

Shikamaru cursed. What fairy tale did this remind him of? Something about a glass slipper. It didn't matter, he had to stop a curse, not live out a spell. He had someone to save.

But how the hell would he save her.

Ino's gasping and shivering wouldn't cease. Her hands still dug into her hair, and her eyes still looked distant. She still was unaware of her surroundings. She was still insane. Shikamaru hugged her to his body before he began running again. _I'll save you Ino, count on it._

The Story Master's words still hung in the air, "_The princess's new found illness has frightened the knight. Will he find the cure, or lose his love?_"

* * *

**Well that was fun. Join us next time, folks!**

**Oh, and REVIEW. I'LL LOVE YOU TONS IF YOU DO!**

**(BTW, I am AMAZED by the number of hits I've gotten with this. It's already beaten out two or three of my other stories. Heart you all!)**


	6. The Cure

_Damnit, Damnit, Damnit!_ Shikamaru continuously cursed himself as he ran _what a drag! Why'd I have to get involved in something so _troublesome? _Why'd I have to argue with Ino this morning!? If I could've just shut my troublesome mouth, this wouldn't have happened. The Story Master wouldn't have caught us, gotten pissed off, and put us in this mess. Now Ino's gone insane!_ He stopped at the top of the hill, panting and incredibly mad, _probably going to drive me insane by trying to find this freaking cure… troublesome._

Shikamaru laid Ino down on the ground, where she instinctively curled into a fetal position. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was a mess, and she only continually gasped for air and shivered. What could possibly cure _this?_ Shikamaru sighed and stared into the sky. Taking an educated guess, it had to be about ten o'clock. Where would he find an insanity cure in two hours?

_Better start looking,_ Shikamaru sighed and picked Ino back up, cradling her. There was no _way_ in _hell_ he'd leave her alone again.

He started walking towards the apothecary. It may be a fake Konoha, but if there was a cure for him to find, the Story Master had to hide it somewhere, right? Or maybe that was too obvious…

Puzzles were such a drag.

At the apothecary, a man was still awake and manning the store. That had to mean something, right? Shikamaru stepped into the store, setting Ino on a chair by the counter and walked up to the cashier. He placed one arm on the counter, and looked the cashier in the eye with an almost menacing look, "So, you got anything for insanity?"

The cashier returned him a questioning look, "You crazy? Insanity can't be treated with medicine, it's a mental disorder."

"There has to be _something_."

"Insanity isn't exactly a quick fix, you know. It really depends on the victim." The cashier bent over the counter and took a look at Ino, "And you don't have a clue as to why she's like that?"

"Nope."

"Well," the cashier crossed his arms, "You're screwed."

"Thanks for informing me." Shikamaru growled, impatient, clenching his fists, "But I really do need at least a _hint_ as to what to do."

"Don't ask me." The cashier grumbled, "I don't deal with psychos."

"Of _course_ you don't," Shikamaru growled. His fists shook with anger.

"Yeah, I don't, whatchya-" The cashier wasn't given the chance to finish, because in the middle of his sentence Shikamaru's fist came into contact with his face. It caused a loud _crack_ to be heard, and the cashier collapsed to the ground. Shikamaru glared at his body as it merged into the ground a disappeared to return to the Story Master's command.

"Because you're just a character," he mumbled, picking Ino up and leaving. As he walked out, he looked up to the clock. Ten-thirty; the minutes were just rolling by.

* * *

The entire village seemed to have gathered for this cause. They stood together, forming a large circle, bickering over her fate. Ino stood in the center of it, cringing. Didn't they know that their words were hurting her? Her ears couldn't _stand_ it any more, and when she opened her eyes…

…all she saw was him.

The original two-sided debate had grown in so many ways. Too many people had gotten involved now. They made too many pros and cons to this situation. It was supposed to be a simple 'I like him' or 'I don't like him.' Why come to this? And it wasn't just Sakura's claim on destiny or Asuma's on danger. No, now more had inputted their views.

Her father was the first. Inoichi couldn't stand the thought of his _baby girl_ dating that _lazy bastard…_ Wasn't he supposed to be friend's with Shikamaru's father anyway? Why the sudden hatred towards the Nara's? It's not like Shikamaru was any different than Shikato. But now her father was fighting with his old comrade, throwing out threats about restraining orders and the naught. Was it really that terrible for Ino to be with Shikamaru?

Choji showed up soon after. When he had heard the new rumor about Shikamaru and Ino, he couldn't have been happier for his team mates. "Who'd'a think," he had said, "that you two would ever end up together? You always bicker and fight. It's a huge relief for you to be dating." And when Ino had tried to state something, Asuma had started to explain to Choji about the dangers of worry that this would bring about. But Choji wasn't to be swayed. He fought for his friends. Their team mate, who would only end up as a third wheel if Ino and Shikamaru had _really_ ended up together, still thought that this was true. That had to mean _something,_ didn't it?

And then there was Sasuke. He'd returned, telling Ino to ditch Shikamaru and be with him instead. Her biggest crush wanted her along! But as excited as she wanted to be, her heart didn't beat as fast as she thought it what. She didn't jump and scream and run to Sakura to rub it in her face. She didn't hug him happily. Being with Sasuke… just wasn't what she wanted.

And last was Temari. She showed up, took one look at the crowd and laughed. She looked Ino straight in the eye, smirked, and said in the most confident voice, "Shika is _mine,_ little girl."

Ino was enraged. _Temari,_ who she had despised since she first laid eyes on her, threatened the availability of Shikamaru. It was something about the way she had looked at Shikamaru for the first time they had met. Ino didn't like it. She didn't like the idea of her anywhere near _her_ Shikamaru.

So she punched her. But Temari only stumbled back to be thrust into the ongoing argument between the citizens of Konoha, her words lost amongst all the other ones. Ino covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. _Why won't the words go away? Why won't you leave me alone?_

_All of you just LEAVE ME ALONE!_

The crowd vanished.

Ino fell to the ground, sighing. Did Shikamaru even like her back? If he didn't, none of this seemed to be worth the pain…

_Shika…

* * *

_

Eleven-thirty… the time was flying by.

Shikamaru sat on a bench and rubbed his temples, annoyed by a sudden head ache. He'd been running all over the village to try and find a cure, but sadly insanity had no quick fix. How was he supposed to cure it by midnight?

He looked beside him to the ever-shivering Ino. Her gasping was settling down, which he presumed to be a good sign, but then again he couldn't be sure of anything in this fake-Konoha. The air was crisp and chilly, so he understood why she wouldn't stop shivering. However, after placing his chuunin jacket over her, she still hadn't settled…

Shikamaru stood from the bench, picked up Ino and walked down the street. No more time could be wasted, after all, if he planned on winning this game. Also, there was still one more place he hadn't checked yet…

He stopped in front of the restaurant. The same, massive restaurant they had gone for their early lunch in order to make it to the storytelling. The same restaurant they'd fought in. The same place that Ino had been driven insane in front of, it seemed that this place was the cause of all their problems… but why did it seem to be so important?

Shikamaru set Ino back down on the ground, then leaned on the door and groaned. _This is so… troublesome!_ He hit his head into the door, gritting his teeth in frustration. Things weren't supposed to be this hard! What happened to that average life he had always wanted? The simple one, where people like the Story Master didn't exist? _Why do things have to be so… troublesome!_

He looked down at Ino. _What's her problem, anyway? How can I do anything if I don't know her problem?_

"_Shika…_"

He froze, raised an eyebrow, and stared at her. Her lips had only trembled just barely, and her face hadn't shown much expression other than the fear that had set in since he found her earlier. But still, he knew that she had just mumbled his name.

Everything started to fall into place.

"_You're such a drag, Ino. Don't worry all the time, maybe you won't be as uptight."_

"Uptight!? _I am _not _uptight! And I didn't know it was so wrong to _care _about someone!"_

"_What _is _wrong with caring?_"

"_It's troublesome, like this pig here."_

"_I'm sorry I _ever _gave you a _simple thought!"

"The fight…" He whispered to himself, "That started it right? That's why we're here…"

"_And they won't shut up about _you_! You're a big celebrity here, Shikamaru, especially when it comes down to _me. _They all think we're dating!"_

"_You need to tell me _everything _that happened to you today. You could be walking into a trap."_

"_Erm… nothing important."_

"That was the problem, wasn't it Ino?" He chuckled, "You and me together, couldn't see it, could you?" He shook his head, "Damn, what I'd give for that, right?" He knelt down to Ino, "You're insane of contradictory feelings toward me. I see it now. I've figured out the Story Master's trap…" He furrowed his brow and smirked; "Now how the hell to I _fix_ it?"

Eleven-fifty… Ino began to gasp again. He shivering had shifted into violent shaking. Shikamaru's eyes widened as she thrashed her head, eyes bloodshot, and fingers digging into her skull. Her hair flew everywhere, and Shikamaru was forced to step back in panic.

"Ino! What the _hell!?_"

Eleven-fifty-five… the gasping turned into screaming. Shikamaru inched behind her until he had could get a good grasp on her shoulders, and then tried his best to hold in her place.

Eleven-fifty-six… Ino's screaming only got louder. The thrashing only got more violent, and Shikamaru could only do his best to hold her down.

Eleven fifty-seven… Shikamaru had snaked his arms around her waist to keep a firmer hold so she couldn't get away.

"Damnit, Ino, don't die on me!"

Eleven fifty-eight… what was this coming to?

"You can't die here!"

Eleven fifty-nine.

"_I love you, Damnit!"_

_Freeze._

Ino went limp, falling to the ground. Shikamaru's face was dumbstruck. What had happened here? He looked around. The wind had stopped blowing. Trees seemed frozen in mid-sway. Birds flying in the night sky froze as if in a painting. The cricket's midnight song had suddenly paused.

"Well done, boy." Her voice, accompanied by slow clapping, filled the frozen air.

"What did you do?" He asked menacingly. The Story Master appeared from behind a tree, smiling that ever-knowing smile. Dear lord, if that smile ever pissed Shikamaru off, it was now.

"_I_ didn't do anything. Well, anything to _her_ that is. That was you." She gave him an accusing glance, "I've stopped time for my own needs."

_She can control every condition in this world since it's her story…_ Shikamaru frowned, "What's wrong, writer's block?"

"Actually," She chuckled, "Yes."

_A time of weakness! Perfect!_ "So what would that imply?"

"Well, we've reached the climax, haven't we?" The Story Master crossed her arms and sighed lightly, "I'm terrible with falling action. I can never really decide what I want my outcome to be. Happy ending or no? Tragedy or comedy? It's such a hard decision sometimes."

"I thought this was merely a lesson."

"It is," she smiled again, "but that doesn't mean I can't make something bad happened. Remember, I _am_ the Story Master. I _can_ kill my victims off simply as soon as they've gone insane." She looked at him, and frowned, "Don't think of attacking me, boy. I'm on a different level than you, and you're at your weakness too."

Shikamaru scowled, _that's right. There aren't any shadows for me to work off of at night…_ He went into deep thought, assuming his thinking pose. After a moment, he opened one eye, focusing on the area behind the Story Master. He noticed a street lamp shining brightly behind her, forming a nice yellow circle on the pavement. _Perfect._ He reached for his kunai pack.

The Story Master noticed his movement and quickly prepared her hand signs, "_Alchemic no Jutsu! **Setting summoning!**"_ A wall of rock thrust out of the ground in front of her, and kunai Shikamaru had thrown landed in it, making a nice crack right in the middle. He ran to the wall, kicking the kunai so it was thrust further into the wall. It cracked into pieces.

But the Story Master wasn't behind her shield any longer. She stood, instead, atop the street light.

Shikamaru growled and threw another kunai. She lost her balance dodging, but caught onto the pole with her feet, hanging upside-down from it.

"I'm not touching the light on the ground," She smiled, "You can't catch me." She moved her hands to prepare for an attack, but froze, "What…!?"

"You may not be touching to lighted pavement," He grinned, "but you _are_ touching the source. I've caught you with my Kage Mane."

The Story Master would have glared if it weren't for her position. She was forced to fall from the post and stand on the ground, mimicking Shikamaru's pose. Shikamaru pointed his hand at her, and then clenched a fist.

"You're going _down_, woman, for hurting Ino."

Little did either of them know, that during this entire fight, young Ino was stirring from her sleep.

* * *

**So…** **I _was_ going to go on from here, but decided to split it up into two chapters. So I'm thinking… one more chapter and an epilogue? Probably.**

**REVIEW AND YOU GET A COOKIE:3**

**points down at the purple button**


	7. The Fight

Ino got to her knees, coughed, and brought her hand to her forehead. She cringed, waiting for the terrible pain of her headache to subside. When it had, she brought herself to her feet and dusted herself off. _What just happened?_ She looked around, until her eyes finally lay on Shikamaru fighting some woman… wait, she knew that face! What was its name again?

The Story Master.

_What's going on?_ She stared at the woman, confused, until a wave of realization swept over her and the memories rushed in.

"_I'm sorry I _ever_ gave you a _simple thought!_"_

The fight.

"_And they won't shut up about _you_! You're a big celebrity here, Shikamaru, especially when it comes down to _me._ They all think we're dating!"_

The reunion.

"_You're so cute together!"_

"_It'll only bring pain."_

"_Don't listen to him; you two are destined for each other!_"

The insanity.

"_You can't die here! I love you, Damnit!"_

The cure.

_The Story Master's Tale has come to its end…_ Ino slowly smirked as she saw Shikamaru catch the Story Master with his Kage Mane. _Finally, it's time for me to stop being the damsel in distress._

With a look of triumph, she walked over to Shikamaru, tapping his shoulder. When he looked behind himself at her, he looked startled and surprised. However, he quickly smirked. One thing seemed to pass wordlessly between them. _The classic plan!_

With a quick hand sign, Inu's body went limp, and Shikamaru quickly caught it. The Story Master, on the other side of the shadow bind, looked at Shikamaru warily, then in the next instant dropped her shoulders, and then looked up with that classic all-knowing smile.

But it wasn't her smile, it was Ino's.

Ino, in her role as the Story Master, closed her eyes and sighed, "Ah, it feels good to be in the fight again."

Shikamaru lightly chuckled, "So what's her plan?"

"Her writer's block still hasn't ended, it's undecided." She furrowed her brow, searching deeper into the Story Master's mind, "But two plans have been considered."

"And they are?"

"Plan one, the comedic ending. The princess wakes from her slumber at the hand of the knight, and they live happily ever after. A classic, fairy tale ending."

"And the other?"

"The tragic ending," Ino frowned, "The princess dies, and the knight goes crazy from the loss."

Shikamaru laughed, "With you awake again, she can't choose the second ending."

"That's what I want to think, but she could do something to kill me off anyway, couldn't she? She's the author, after all."

"Check her mind for one more thing," He narrowed his eyes, "See what she thinks about couples."

Ino nodded and closed her eyes, racking the Story Master's mind for the answer. She soon opened her eyes and said solemnly, "She hates to see a good relationship end."

"That's all we need, then."

Ino smiled, "Thanks, Shika. For everything."

Shikamaru grunted in reply, "Release that jutsu. I have a plan."

* * *

Shikamaru panted. She was a tough opponent, but he and Ino had definitely dealt a few blows to her. The Story Master's shoulders rose with every staggering breath, her breathing tempo matching that of her opponents. The final blow would have to be made soon, and it would have to work perfectly.

The Story Master took a deep breath, preparing an attack, "_Alchemic no Jutsu, **Monster summoning!"**_ Instantly, two large monsters rose from the ground, forming from rock, and growled deeply. Ino did her best not to seem like she was shrinking in fear, but felt somewhat intimidated. When she moved to defend herself, Shikamaru ran in front of her, his arms crossed in an 'x' as a shield.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you Ino!"

Ino froze, surprised, and then chuckled, "Stopped being a lazy ass, Shika?"

"We've come this far, right? I don't want to _lose_ you after all that! Leave this… _bitch _to me; I'll get her for everything she did for you."

Ino grinned, then shot a fist in the air, though somewhat weakly, "Go get 'em, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru smirked as he drew his shuriken, _I wonder what will come of all this? _The Story Master was running out of ideas, writer's block had definitely taken its toll, and she had repeatedly summoned these monsters already. It just required one good shot and…

Perfect.

The shuriken hit directly into the chests of the monsters, splitting them each in two and making them fall to the ground, sinking back into the earth. Shikamaru smirked and turned back to Ino, about to take her hand and get her away from here, but she had disappeared.

Shikamaru spun back around to look at the Story Master, and found her to be gone as well. Where had they both gone? _Don't tell me…_ he scowled, _Damnit! She got her again, didn't she? Some knight I am…!_

"Over here!"

Shikamaru turned again, glaring deeply at the villain before him. The Story Master was smiling there, as she always had been, but with Ino trapped at her side. Ino's stood there, her legs and arms incased in earth, along with being gagged by the same material. She wore a look of shock. He growled, ready to finally punch in that annoying smile of hers, "What do you _want_ with her!?"

The Story Master's smile grew into beaming, and she laid a hand on Ino's shoulders. Ino seemed to flinch at the contact. "What will you do to save her?"

"I'll tear you to pieces, that's what." He clenched his fists, but didn't move.

She touched a hand to her chin, deep in thought, always smiling that same, all-knowing smile, "I'll just about believe you about that. You know, so many ideas have gone through my head just now, during our fight, all about how to end this story. I believe I've finally decided on one… but I need one more piece of information." Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow as she shifted her hand behind her, then in a quick nanosecond, drew a kunai to Ino's throat, "What will you do?"

"_You bitch!"_ Shikamaru charged for the woman, then in a blink of an eye he rammed her in the stomach. She fell to the ground, coughing, a bit of blood hanging from her lip. When the coughing finally settled, she smiled again.

"The knight finally defeated his nemesis, and the princess was freed." On cue, the rock that held Ino sunk back into the earth and she collapsed, landing in Shikamaru's arms. She was unconscious, having fainted from the shock of her opponent's death-threat, but was in fine condition. "Though she was injured, the knight was able to heal her wounds and nurse her back to health. The bizarre town returned to normal, and they were released from their villain's illusion."

The Story Master's body then sunk into the ground, just like all of her characters. The buildings and scenery around them sunk too, and Shikamaru soon found himself merely sitting alone in a blank universe with Ino in his arms.

"What's going… on?"

He suddenly felt like he was bashed in the head, and blacked out.

* * *

"_Hoorah!"_

Shikamaru woke up to the loud sound of applause from all around him. He rubbed his head, weary, and looked around him. He was on the stage… and all of Konoha sat before him.

He looked to his side to see Ino waking up with the same confusion. What was going on? Was the story… over?

"Let's hear it for our stars!"

Everyone stood from their seats and cheered even louder. Shikamaru stared at them in disbelief, then exchanged questioning looks with Ino. He stood up, unsure of what to do, until he noticed someone else standing on the stage with them.

It was the Story Master, smiling again, and waving her arms. But this time she was smiling to Konoha, and she didn't seem two-faced as usual… she was actually _sincere._

She turned to him and her smile grew to a grin, "Congratulations on a job well done."

"What happened to the story? And why are we back on the stage?"

"And weren't you only supposed to tell one tale to Konoha, then leave?" Ino stood by Shikamaru's side, sharing interest in the subject, "It's been _two days_, why are you still here?"

"Don't you get it?" She laughed, "You two _are_ the story. I can manipulate time within a tale, you know, so everything you just went through, actually took about an hour here."

"We showed up at the stage before noon though."

"So I froze time for you until noon." She shrugged, "No big, I do it all the time."

"This was all just for your act!?"

"No, no," She beamed, laughing still, "Hopefully more came out of this lesson than just great applause." She winked at them, then turned to the audience and bowed. "Thank you, thank you! Thank you all, and good day!"

The Story Master took her exit from the stage, from Konoha, and from their lesson.

* * *

"What just happened?"

Ino sat next to Shikamaru in a booth at the restaurant, where so many people had gathered after the show. She rubbed her thumb against the glass of water sitting before her. She and Shikamaru had never had lunch, after all… and they were _awfully_ hungry.

"I don't know, it seems like such a blur now…" Shikamaru stared down at the table, ashamed, "What utter _crap._"

"And what about that fight?" Ino turned her head to him, but he didn't meet her gaze, "How did we just… win like that? I never got the plan."

"It was simple, if the Story Master didn't like to see the end to a good relationship, she wouldn't kill you off if she thought I deeply cared for you, right?" He turned his head to give her a bored look, as if everything was supposed to be _that_ obvious, "So I guarded you to the best of my ability. Sure, I screwed up, but-"

"So it was all just an act?"

"What?"

"I don't know," She frowned and looked back at her glass of water, "I just… thought you actually _did _care about me. I guess what I heard you say '_I love you_,' I got that impression. But I must've been imagining things…" She sighed. Shikamaru didn't respond, and looked back at the table. She continued, "You know what she did to drive me insane? She sent contradictory ideas to me about what would come of my being with you. Sakura, Asuma-sensei, Choji, Sasuke, Temari… all of them, and all of Konoha too, they all wouldn't stop _talking_ about us. And I didn't know what to think! So I went crazy." Shikamaru grunted in reply, but didn't look up from the table. "I thought I loved you, Shika, I truly did, and I didn't think any of it would be worth it if you didn't love me back. And then I heard your voice, finally, and thought it was turning out right! But…" She sighed again, but deeply, "I guess I was wrong…" Shikamaru looked up at her again, staring. She sensed his gesture, and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. She soon met his gaze, and questioned it, "What?"

"It wasn't an act," He said in a low voice, "And I wasn't lying."

Ino froze, her blue eyes locked onto his black ones. "What-"

He cut her off when his lips met hers, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss. Ino responded right away and kissed back with equal passion, rapping her arms around his neck as he snaked his around her waist. They leaned into the wall, eventually passing for 'making out.' They didn't even notice when Naruto and Sakura walked by snickering. They could only easily hear the Story Master's words deep in their minds.

"_And the knight and princess fell madly in love, and lived happily ever after."

* * *

_

**Ooooooh! Pwnage! Now don't run off, there's still an epilogue, so it's not _entirely_ over…**

**So HEY, I love you guys SO MUCH. I've gotten more than 800 views on this story, and I'm telling you, IT JUST EXCITES ME TO NOW END. Ahhhh, I love my readers, they're so awesome. :D**

**(hands out cookies to all the reviewers, because they're a thousand times more awesome then all the kids who just read and then RUN OFF WITHOUT A WORD.)**

**Every time you read without reviewing, a puppy dies by gunshot. SAVE THE PUPPIES.**


	8. Epilogue: The End

_Once upon a time, there was a young couple. However, they weren't the couple most would stereotype. They hated each other, until one day… the princess was captured._

_The knight was infuriated, now being forced into a new world where he had to battle monsters to save the princess. He wasn't one to like work. So the knight decided he would sit in a tree and wait it out. But his plan backfired-the tree was a monster as well! He was kept at bay for a few moments, but luckily our knight vanquished the tree. Unsure of any other resting places, the knight decided it was best to continue on this journey set unto him by the villain._

_Meanwhile, the princess doubted the knight's success. She thought he wouldn't care enough to save her, so she tried to escape herself. But her techniques weren't enough to hold back her captor, as she was always one step ahead of the princess, so she had to sit and wait._

_The knight's next foe was a sphinx that asked him three riddles in order to ensure him a safe passage beyond her property. The knight was, of course, a bright young lad, and answered every question easily. The sphinx nodded and let him past, and he soon ran into the third foe: a group of giants. A bloody battled ensued, but with the sphinx's help, he was able to kill the giants and move on._

_Back in her prison, the princess's captor decided to release her from her cage. Unsure of what to do, she was forced out a door that ended up causing her to fall from a cliff. She screamed loudly as she fell. With a loud _thud,_ she landed on bottom… but she wasn't in the vast plains she had expected… she was back in her hometown._

_The knight was resting when he heard the princess's scream. He instantly got to his feet and ran for the source, vanquishing any enemies that came past. But when he got to the site, she had vanished. The knight fell to his knees, tired beyond belief, and fell into a deep sleep._

_The princess went to her favorite eatery in her town, and ran into a few friends. However, her friends were acting oddly and could only talk about the knight. As an added bonus, the food was terrible! But as she stayed at the restaurant, the constant chatter about her and the knight caused her to think about her true feelings toward the knight. Did she love this man?_

_When the knight awoke, he had arrived in the town as well. He was surprised, and walked the length of the streets until he reached a lovely hill. Still low on energy, the knight decided it was best to rest until he was fully able to search for the princess again._

_Later that day, the princess was sitting in town square, questioning herself about the knight. While thinking, her teacher showed up, telling her that her being with the knight would only bring sorrow. While the princess believed that she loved the knight, she wasn't sure it would be worth any pain. Seeking solace, she sought out a close friend, who reassured her that being with the knight would bring nothing but happiness. With these contradictory thoughts in mind, the princess wandered the town until she arrived at a hill, remembering it to be a favorite landmark of the knight. She decided it would be a nice place to sit at. The princess looked around, and noticed a person sleeping on the ground nearby. The person woke up, and turned out to be none other than her knight!_

_The knight and the princess discussed what had happened in the town, and came to the conclusion that it was an illusion set up by the villainess. When the knight had asked her if anything harmful had happened to her, she neglected to tell him about the contradictory ideas set into her about her relationship with him. Scared, she ran away._

_The princess ended up in front of the eatery again, confused and frightened. She found her teacher there, who told her again that her relationship with the knight would only bring pain. Then her friend showed up, who urged once more that it was her destiny to be with the knight. Their urgings grew so loud to the princess that she couldn't take it anymore… she went insane._

_The knight found her in her weakened state not to much sooner, and when he tried to help her out of this state, the villainess appeared and told him he had until midnight to cure the princess. The knight ran all over the town, but found no such luck. He inwardly cursed himself for being so inept._

_In the princess's mind, everything was going haywire. More forces had joined to worsen her insanity, all yelling and screaming their views on her relationship with the knight. How she wished they would leave her alone! With a scream, they all disappeared. She collapsed, and whispered only the knight's name._

_In the knight's world, he heard the feeble princess mutter his name in such a soft breath that the sound of a pin dropping could have covered it. He figured out that it was because of him and the possibility of something more than friendship sparking between he and the princess had caused this illness. But he had five minutes left now, and still didn't know what to do. In one last panicked attempt, he cried out to the princess that he loved her. Time froze, and the villainess appeared._

_A battle began, and during this battle, the princess reawaked. The memories of everything having just happened in the last few hours swept through her, and she smiled as she though of the knight fighting for her. She joined to battle to help the knight, and they fought the villainess together._

_After exchanging many blows, the knight finally defeated his nemesis, and the princess was freed. Though she was injured, the knight was able to heal her wounds and nurse her back to health. The bizarre town returned to normal, and they were released from their villain's illusion. The knight and princess fell madly in love, and lived happily ever after.

* * *

_

"What did the knight and the princess do!?"

"Well, they got married, I presume." The woman smiled her all-knowing smile. The young girl and boy stared up with her with eyes full of amazement. They were lovely children, the woman thought. "They had two children, a girl and then a boy, but they lived a far from average life, much to the disappointment of the knight."

"But if the princess was a princess after all, would that make the knight a prince?"

"I guess it would. Eventually, it would make them both king and queen, right?"

"Right!"

"Well I think your parents are here." The woman smiled when the couple walked up to retrieve their children.

The blonde kunoichi smiled back at the woman, "What story did you tell them?"

"My favorite one, about the lazy knight and the bossy princess," The all-knowing smile never faded.

"Troublesome woman," The black-haired shinobi sighed, "I'm sure you haven't put anyone _else_ through that pain lately?"

"It's a helpful tactic," the woman nodded, "But after your lesson, I returned to combat. Many rogue ninja were put to rest thanks to my skills."

"And I'm sure everyone loves you for it."

"Of course, but I've retired. I'm just a simple storyteller now, no longer The Story Master. My time has come and gone, my apprentice now fills that roll."

Nara Ino hugged the woman, "I have to thank you for what you did all those years ago. It surely changed our lives for the better."

"Well that was the whole point right?" The Story Master patted Ino's shoulder and beamed, "I would be very disappointed if I hadn't succeeded."

Nara Shikamaru picked up his eldest, the young raven-haired girl with piercing blue eyes that almost rivaled her mother's. "I suppose I thank you as well."

"Always a lazy bastard, eh, knight? It never ends."

"I can't abandon old ways, its part of who I am."

Ino picked up the younger, blonde toddler boy who hadn't moved from his spot by The Story Master, "And his son mimics him in every way. If it weren't for the fact that he also has my genetics, I would think that he was his father's clone in baby form."

The Nara family said their goodbyes to The Story Master and headed home. The young Nara girl riding on her father's back began chatting excitedly, "Mama, Papa, she just told us the most awesome story about a knight and a _princess!_ I can tell it to you, I can!"

Shikamaru and Ino exchanged amused looks, and Shikamaru responded lazily, "Yeah?"

"Well this knight and princess hate each other, right? So a mean lady decides to teach them a lesson."

As the young Nara girl started chattering away, and her younger brother fell asleep in his mom's arms, Ino giggled lightly, "Oh, I've heard this story too many times."

* * *

Later that night, Shikamaru was dozing off in bed. To his dismay, Ino woke him up when she plopped down beside him onto said bed.

"Mmmph." He grumbled. Ino laughed.

"They're all tucked in now, fast asleep," She said, reaching her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. Shikamaru merely grunted in reply, as he was still trying to fall asleep. "You know that was interesting today, the Story Master's return to Konoha and all. It's a shame she won't tell stories with her power anymore."

"Especially since we never really got to watch, right?" Shikamaru mumbled, giving up on sleep for the moment. He opened one eye lazily to look at Ino, "We had to actually witness it firsthand, the troublesome way."

"The end I didn't mind, but the process I did. I loved the ending, actually."

Shikamaru chuckled and opened the other, giving Ino his full attention, "The ending was the only part that wasn't a drag."

"_Nara Shikamaru!_" Ino gasped, amused, "Did you just say that something _wasn't _troublesome!?"

"No," He laughed, "I said it wasn't a drag."

"Alert the media! I can see the headline now: _Lazy bastard evolved: Troublesome no more!_"

"Ino, Ino," He sighed, but grinned, "You'll _always_ be a troublesome woman."

"Will I, now?" She joked.

"Yeah, but I love you for it."

"And I love you for being a lazy bastard." Ino tightened her hold on her husband's shoulders and snuggled up to him. Shikamaru wrapped an arm around her waist in return and closed his eyes to sleep again. However, Ino would not let him go that easily, "Tell me the story again, Shika?"

"All right, all right." Shikamaru opened his eyes again and turned on his side to face her. He placed a hand on her cheek, and Ino smiled. "Once upon a time there was lazy knight and a bossy princess…"

THE END

* * *

**Awwww, it's all over! That's sad.**

**Well, that was fun. I thoroughly enjoyed writing that story, but I'm kind of glad it's over, since I have so many other story ideas bottling up inside me I REALLY want to write them soon, so be prepared to see me start shoveling out ShikaIno one-shots soon. It'll be fun!**

**REMEMBER, EVERY TIME YOU READ WITHOUT REVIEWING, A PUPPY DIES BY GUNSHOT. AND A KITTY DIES OF MALNUTRITION!**

**Save the puppies! And kitties, too!**

**(Interesting fact: This epilogue is actually longer than one or two of my other chapters, I think. Haha, that's FUNNY.)**


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